Think Globally & Act Locally –LivingSocial is Doing Just That
August 10, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Think globally and act locally This is in play once again. The common element is in this evolving section is that people want a deal regardless where they live.
LivingSocial is a global phenomenon along with Groupon, its biggest competitor.
As I was driving home a few days ago, I learned from Marketplace, the American Public radio show, that LivingSocial has just opened up in South Korea, its 23rd country! You would have to agree that that is AMAAAZING.
They did this by buying South Korean online daily deal provider TicketMonster. Daniel H. Sin is the 25-year-old founder in May 2010 and CEO of TicketMonster. It has 600 staffers and more importantly 970,000 visitors daily
With this deal #2 LivingSocial has made an international move to keep up with #1 Groupon. This new Korean position gives it a strong presence in the lucrative Asian market where it already poised in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines as a result of purchasing Ensogo in June and DealKeren.
LivingSocial is partially owned by Amazon, something I didn’t know. Amazon continues to amaze me with its evolution.
The World Is Going Crazy Yet Again
July 30, 2011
Image by mgrenner57 via Flickr
Maybe you have had the following thoughts recently like I have.
“The world is upside down.”
“What a crazy world we live in.”
“The world is mad.”
Two events have me shaking my head yet again:
- The bombing, shootings and killings by a right wing purist in Norway to launch a revolution
- The inability of the US Congress to pass a bill raising the debt ceiling needed in order to avoid a default
Have we become so selfish, self-righteous and preoccupied with ourselves that we no longer factor in the needs and beliefs of others? Has it come to “my way of the highway?”
In Norway Anders Behring Breivik pleaded not guilty to acts of terrorism in the killing of 76 Norwegians at last count. He told the court that he committed the deadly massacre as part of a mission to save Europe from a “Muslim takeover.”
Breivik is not a Muslim fundamentalist out to destroy the free world.
He is a Norwegian citizen. He is an extremist and a rightist. I am sure many thought that all this destruction and killing was the work of a Muslim before the individual was caught. Breivik doesn’t fit the usual pattern of a destroyer.
In the US, Congress has apparently forgotten that it is here is govern the country. Many of the newly elected members, primarily from the Tea Party, do not appear to know that getting elected to office is one political game. The other political game is to govern once they are in office. This means working within the democratic – small letter “d” – system of government. That system does not work if there is no compromise.
Have adults become like children stomping their feet and screaming when they don’t get what they want without any regard for the opinion of others?
Why can’t we work it out? Is the word “tolerance” an out-of-date concept to many? Is “dysfunctional” the new opus operandi?
Related articles
- Norway terror suspect’s manifesto yields insights (sfgate.com)
We Live In Interesting And Nerve Racking Times!!
February 2, 2009
- Image via CrunchBase
January has been a packed month of gloomy stats. People are losing jobs and the numbers are big.
- Starbucks, your friendly coffee shop, will be closing 300 stores and cutting 7,000 workers from their payroll
- Sprint Nextel plans to eliminate 8,000 positions by March 31
- Caterpillar said it would cut 20,000 jobs, or about 18% of its work force to reflect the lower demand for its equipment
- Home Depot plans to close its Expo home-design business and cut 7,000 jobs, or 2% of its work force.
- Eastman Kodak plans to cut between 3,500 and 4,500 jobs, or 14% to 18% of its work force this year.
- Japanese electronics giant NEC Corp. says it plans to slash at least 20,000 jobs worldwide.
- Companies are losing money just like we are losing money in our portfolios
* American Express reported a decline net income of 79% from a year ago.
* General Electric‘s fourth quarter net income fell 44% to $3.72 billion.
* Ford Motor Co. posted a 4th quarter net loss of $5.88 billion due to a global decline in vehicle sales.
* Japan’s Nomura posted a $3.8 billion loss.
* Macy’s will cut 7,000 jobs, or 4% of its work force.
Global Workplace Strategies in Today’s Volatile Environment
October 15, 2008
Image via Wikipedia
I just finished reading Paul B. Carroll’s review of “The Snowball ” by Alice Schroeder in the Wall Street Journal (10/15/08). The headline reads Why Panic Passes Him By ”. The “him” is Warren Buffet, the well-known investor.
The reviewer points out that while Mr Buffet’s methods can’t be duplicated (“genius is genius after all”), there are some useful core Buffet imperatives.
- Take a close look at an investment’s intrinsic value brutally calculating the risks involved as well as calculating a margin of safety
- Learn from failures
- Turn a situation upside down. Look at it backwards. What is in it for the other person?
- What happens if all your plans go wrong? Where don’t you want to go and how do you get there?
- Make a list of how to fail instead of ONLY looking for success